


a scarf (to keep you warm)

by latedreams



Category: NCT (Band), WayV (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Special, Drunken Confessions, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Minor Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, but not really, ten is bad at feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:01:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28210569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/latedreams/pseuds/latedreams
Summary: After a few seconds of deep silence between them, only with the music and shouts of the club in the background, he turns his eyes to the other boy just to find Kun lying on the table, completely unconscious.Did he really think that just because he wasn't chinese he wouldn't understand his words?A frustrated sigh comes from his lips, Ten takes the water bottle and his jacket and gets up. A desire to run away growing inside himHe lets out a tense laugh as he remembers Kun’s words. Idiot, if he thought that this confession had softened him and changed things between them he was completely wrongOr that's what Ten wanted to believe as he tried to control the rampant beating of his heart
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun
Comments: 4
Kudos: 67





	a scarf (to keep you warm)

**Author's Note:**

> i know christmas is over but a good friend told me it's still holiday season so why not post it now? anyways, hope you enjoy it!

Kun observes Ten winking at the girl as he delivers her order, she thanks and says goodbye with a quick gesture, when she approaches her group of friends who are waiting outside the cafe her cheeks are flushed and she makes undisguised gestures in the direction of the barista, when the boy sees that the girls are looking at him he makes a hand signal provoking nervous giggles in many of them. 

Suddenly he feels irritated, _he hates these situations_ , Ten doing that kind of thing irritates him. He's good-looking and he knows it, his personality has been like that since they met, always flirting or being friendly, filling people with compliments and nice words....everyone but him, whom he teases every chance he gets

His casual smile and natural flirtatious posture made him uneasy, he was like that with everyone except him, Ten avoided him like a plague and the times they managed to talk he tried to get under their skin in the worst possible way, disturbing him and making him feel like an idiot. 

Kun was tired of seeing him flirt and act so childishly at times, he was so nice to others but the next second, when they talked, Ten became completely hostile and sarcastic, always pushing his buttons trying to make him explode

The worst part were the " _fans_ ". Everyone knew that Ten was one of the favourite Moon&Sun baristas, there was no doubt about it. Everybody loves him

That morning just as his shift had begun a girl came in asking for Ten saying she wanted to be served by the most attractive barista in the place again, Kun smiled at her after explaining that Ten's turn was starting later, when she heard the words her face only reflected disappointment, Kun offered her a coffee and she just denied, grumbling that the coffees here weren’t worth it and that she only came for the barista

And that wasn't all

A boy came in minutes later, also looking for the black-haired guy, he’d said the same words and even though this time he bought coffee, he still looked discouraged, before leaving he confessed that he’d a crush on the barista and that was the main reason why he visited the place so often

So yeah, Kun was tired of it and maybe a _little bit_ _jealous_

“You know...there’s other ways to attract clients" the words come out of his mouth before he could analyse their meaning and think about the consequences, that he was implying by saying that 

It was just a whisper but enough for Ten to hear it 

Kun continues arranging the cookies that had been baked a couple of minutes ago, he tries to ignore the persistent look he feels on him, apparently Ten has taken the commentary wrong and now he’s angry, he can see him frowning through the corner of his eyes. The regret grows inside him like a snowball, bigger and heavier. It settles in the bottom of his stomach making him feel like a jerk. 

Ten rest his hand on the counter, a few centimetres from where Kun is leaning, leaving the cookies on a plate

“Say that again" he was again, back to that hostile and sharp tone he’s used to, the look in his eyes is defiant, Kun thinks he sees a flash of pain behind it but it’s only a second before the look of contempt returns, eyebrows raised, waiting for an answer.

The anger bubbles up inside him, it feels like hot lava spreading all over his chest, melting away every trace of regret. _C'mon, it was just a joke_ , he's had to put up with Ten’s nonsense shit and jokes since they've met and now he said nothing that wasn't true, Kun doesn't understand why the younger has become like that

Ten always judged him and treated him in a hostile way and Kun has tries to ignore him, not wanting to fell into his games, he can't understand why Ten dislikes him so much, he did nothing but being nice 

He puts the glove on his hand aside and looks Ten straight in the eyes

"What you've heard...there’s no need to flirt with every customer. I don't think that's-" a dry laugh interrupts his words

" _What you think_...why should I care about what you think?" Ten's eyes only express anger and pain now, as Kun looks into his eyes the flame of anger inside of him is quickly extinguished, he feels his mind racing at a thousand miles per hour, jumping from one emotion to another in a matter of seconds. He opens his mouth to explain himself, Ten has taken his words in the wrong way "I never thought you’d be the type of person who judges like that"

“Wait, Ten, listen-" is interrupted again, Ten takes off his apron and throws it on the counter 

"Forget it..." he circles the table to go out through the back door, by the way he glances at him, Kun is sure there’s a big " _fuck you_ " implied in his words

He tries to follow him but is stopped by a hand resting on his chest, it’s Doyoung, he puts his hand down when he notices that Kun stops resisting

"You'd better leave him alone for now... He's kinda sensitive about that stuff" Doyoung adds

His throat feels dry, he nods without being able to emit a single word, the guilt spreads inside of him, it’s suffocating. Now there’s only a feeling of emptiness and discomfort, the anger disappears like sand between his fingers

It's true, they used to make these kinds of jokes about each other (mostly Ten teasing him), maybe now he went too far. He acted stupidly and like a child because of his jealousy

Kun hopes that Ten doesn't hate him now 

\- ✲ -

Two days later he discovers that Ten had changed his turns to avoid facing him

He was taking some boxes to the supply wardrobe when he'd heard the discussion between Taeil and Hendery

"Please Hendery, Haechan told me that you don't have classes on friday mornings" the owner is frustrated and by his appearance he seems to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. 

Taeil who always looks tidy and is usually calm now has dark circles under his eyes, his skin has lost glow now looking pale and his hair stands out in all directions. Kun is sure that the shirt he put on is upside down and his normally neat apron is a mess full of flour stains and colourful frosting

"Please, I beg you, there's no one else who can cover the turn that Ten left at that hour" it's been 3 days since their fight and the guilt is still there, it seemed to increase every time he heard Ten's name. Seeing the fatigued expression on Taeil's face didn't help at all, his attitude interfered with the functioning of the cafe and was causing problems for others

"But Ten doesn't have classes at that time either! I don't understand why he can't come to work" the younger one doesn't seem to want to bugde

"You know what happened, he's trying to avoid..." Taeil notices that he's behind them and shuts up, Hendery follows his gaze and smiles when he sees Kun there 

"Kun-ge!” the wide smile on Hendery's face gives him a small degree of comfort and peace. At least not everyone is mad at him 

Yesterday when Yangyang had arrived at the place for his usual tuesday order he’d only glanced at him apologetically before heading to the other side of the counter for his order. Yuta ignored him during his turn, barely answering monosyllables and Haechan...the same day of the fight Kun heard his complains against him, demanding Taeil to fire him because he hurted his favourite hyung's feelings, Sicheng didn't count because he was his best friend but anyway he still remembers the disappointed look on his eyes when Kun told him what happened

He stands there with the box in his hands, not knowing what to do next.

"Kun, would you come with me to the kitchen?" Taeil gestures before going through the doors to return to his natural habitat "Don't worry about the box, you can continue with that later"

_Oh my God, he's going to get fired_

He follows the footsteps of the older and is received by the smell of freshly baked cinnamon muffins, Taeil left them on a table in the counter of the room near to a window to cool them down

"Hey..." Taeil puts his apron aside and points to a chair, inviting him to sit next to him

"I can explain-" he hurries to say, even though he knows he can manage without this job Kun likes it here 

"You don’t have to explain anything, Ten already explained it to me the same day it happened and I talked to Haechan" the smile on his face is warm, despite his tired appearance he’s still able to radiate that positive and embracing energy so characteristic and typical of him “I'm not gonna fire you if that's what you’re thinking”

Taeil sighs

"I can try to apologize again" Kun offers, he doubts that Ten will accept his apology, much less that he wants to see him.

"Hey, don't worry about that, I know you didn't say it on purpose...don't feel bad about it, I've known Ten for _years_ and I know he can be a bit too sensitive sometimes, I don't want you to blame yourself for what happened" Taeil takes a deep breath before continuing

"Haechan is very close to him and I’m sorry if his words made you feel guilty...he’s still a child and after all Ten is his favourite hyung" the tone of his voice is gentle and soft, if he were consoling a small child after a fight with his friends

Kun still remembers Haechan's screams from that day, apparently the boy had met Ten outside the cafe after the fight. Everyone knew how noisy he could be but it was always with a friendly energy, that day it seemed to be shooting out of his eyes. Doyoung had to hold him down so he wouldn't pounce on Kun

" _Do you have any idea what you've done? You're a complete idiot Kun-hyung, we all know that Ten is just trying to be nice and that doesn't give you the right to insinuate that he's a slut who flirts with everyone....fuck you! I don't want you to go near Ten-hyung anymore, you're a big asshole_ " 

When he heard the screams of his younger brother Taeil come out of the kitchen just to drag Haechan back with him seconds later

Kun was grateful that the cafe was empty at that time, even with the background music it was possible to hear part of the conversation going on in the kitchen, or at least Haechan's screams demanding that he fire him 

If it wasn't for Doyoung coming to him with a glass of water, Kun probably would've cried at that moment, the frustration and guilt were eating him alive

And days later those feelings stayed with him, relentless as an unbreakable ice sheet.

"Please, call me hyung, you've been working here for almost 6 months" Taeil adds

"I'm really sorry hyung" Kun apologises

Taeil pats the boy's shoulder in a friendly way as soft laughs come out of his lips "Don't worry about that, I can always get Haechan to work a couple of turns" 

"If you do that he'll probably end up hating me..." 

"I'm sorry about that... you didn't deserve him yelling at you like that, it must have been hard enough for you to argue with Ten" Kun raises an eyebrow at the last words

"What do you mean?" he asks, curious

"I can be in the kitchen all day but don't think I didn't notice it”

“Notice what?” Kun is still confused 

“C’mon Kun...you know what I’m talking about”

"There's nothing between us if that's what you're insinuating, he doesn't like me" he clarifies before Taeil says something that might embarrass him

"I didn't say anything about that, don't know what's going on in that little head of yours right now but I never implied there was something going on between you two" Taeil turns to hide his smile, pretending he's looking at the cake he left in the oven

"Hyung..." the boy groans

"You like him, right?" Taeil raises an eyebrow 

_He doesn't like Ten_

“Don't know what you're talking about" Kun avoids the look of the other boy in the room, the blush has come up to his neck creating a contrast with the black shirt he’s wearing and his milky skin, his cheeks are dusted with a slight pink shade product of the embarrassment, at least it match with the colour of his hair

"You'll fix things, I'm sure, Ten is not the type who gets angry for long" Taeil gets up again, not before giving him another comforting smile and a pat on the back.

"I really want to fix the things with him...I spoke without thinking and-" is cut by the tender laugh of the older

“You regret it, don't you?" 

"Yes, I acted before thinking and said something that hurted him, I know our relationship isn’t the best but still, I made him feel bad" he crosses his arms when he sees the look of complicity on his hyung's face

" _And you like him_..." Taeil says 

Kun snorts, he knows try to discuss that point is useless. Taeil is not going to swallow the shit he’s been telling himself since he met Ten, the older can see further than that and apparently Kun is not as good at hiding his feelings as he thought

“Now, I called you because I needed someone to try out the new recipe for the cinnamon muffin that I made and I know it’s one of your favourites" Taeil changes the subject, he finally got Kun to express his feelings out loud and he doesn't want to pressure him out of his limits, he wants the boy to trust him. He's already tired of seeing him orbiting around Ten every time they’re working together and seeing Ten trying to pretend that Kun's presence doesn't affect him and is just a exhausting, they've been doing the same shit for months, denying their true feelings.

Kun gasps, Taeil doesn't usually let the employees try out his new creations, that's Haechan's job

Taeil approaches with the plate , the muffins are warm, when he sees the doubt on the boy’s face he pushes it closer to him

"You seem to need something to cheer you up, don't think about it too much and just take one, okay?

"Thanks Taeil-hyung...you know, _for the muffin_ " he just rolls his eyes in response

\- ✲ -

Ten knew he shouldn't have come. Obviously he was going to be here too 

He glances quickly in that direction, Kun was leaning to the left whispering something in Sicheng's ear, his gaze remains on them for almost a minute but neither of them turned to see him. It irritates him _, Kun irritates him._ With his fake good-boy attitude and kind smiles with dimples, he was nice to everyone but him. After their fight he hadn't even tried to apologize

 _It's not like he allowed him to do it anyway_ , the reminder in his head sounds like Yukhei's voice

Ten rolls his eyes and after taking a last look at them he turns to pay attention to the group conversation that was going on at that moment 

As always Yukhei is trying to do that stupid challenge of who would be able to drink more during the night, everyone knew that he was the one who always won. Ten still didn't understand how the boy could hold so much alcohol in his body

"...that's because you haven't been out with Kun-ge before" the name brought his attention back to the conversation, Sicheng who used to keep silent most of the nights they went out to party now was telling all the stories of Kun in his early college years, pausing from time to time to laugh

"Probably now that he's old he can't resist alcohol" Doyoung mumbles from where he was sitting, loud enough for the others to hear, Kun stretches out his arm and gently pushes him 

"I can perfectly handle it Doie...couldn't say the same about you" with a smug smile Kun points to the table where the drinks were

"Sure I can... you want to bet?" Doyoung reaches out and grabs one of the beers 

"Oh no, here we go again..." Sicheng groans before hiding his face with the palm of his hands. Jaehyun puts one hand on the boy's knee, comforting him

"During our first year of college these two idiots were competing all the time, it was always me who had to carry them home on my back...it was a disaster, one of them always ended up puking" the words slip through his fingers 

"Wait... that means when we met at Johnny's party..." Jaehyun kept his hand on his boyfriend's knee but his gaze was moving between Kun and Doyoung 

"It was Kun" Doyoung starts laughing 

" _Oh Jaehyun_..." Kun rubs his neck, cheeks blushing "so it was you? I'm so sorry"

Doyoung was now twisting, trying with all his strength to hold back the laughs, tears in the corners of his eyes, Sicheng had one hand hiding his smile and Jaehyun avoided looking at Kun

"It's okay hyung, it was an accident” after a few seconds Jaehyun lifts his face and smiles at Kun smiles back clearly uncomfortable

"He puked on your shoes!" Sicheng insists, the voice muffled by the hands that were still over his mouth

A wave of laughs and disgusting expressions flooded the area where they were sitting, Kun was too busy hitting Doyoung to feel bad about it

" _That's disgus_ ting" Kun looks up in his direction, visibly tensing when he sees where the voice came from. His back is straight now, he stares at him before looking away without responding

After a few seconds Kun takes one of the beer bottles that was on the table

"So Xuxi, what do you say? you think you can beat me?" with nimble hands he opens the bottle before bring it to his lips.

Without wasting more time, Yukhei takes another of the bottles that were on the table and in just one gulp he drinks half of the content

"You're going to lose Kun-ge" he's using an arrogant tone but the sweet smile on his face ruined any attempt to look intimidating or superior. Kun can't help but laugh at the defiant expression on his face

“We'll see…” mumbles before take another sip

Ten notices how his throat moves as Kun takes sips of his beer, his eyes are slightly closed and his lips look glossy from continuously running his tongue through them, looking more desirable than usual. The colourful lights of the club reflecting on his face enhancing his features. _Kun looks stunning_

He’s brought back to reality by an elbow that digs into his ribs cutting off his breath for a moment, he turns to the person who was now standing next to him with a frown 

Doyoung, obviously

"What the hell do you want?" Doyoung held a beer in his left hand and his right hand was resting on the backrest behind him, a mischievous smile on his lips

"When are you gonna let him apologize?" he discreetly points to Kun with the hand that holds his drink "the poor guy has been looking like crap for the past three weeks, _I swear_ , he looks like a kicked dog with his sad look every time he realizes you're not there"

"That was the reason why I changed it dumbass" Ten run his hand through his hair, his skin itches and his muscles burn for going to the dance floor "I don't wanna see him" 

"You know he didn't mean it, we're talking about Kun" he looks quickly at Kun noticing that he's already on his way to the second bottle. He keeps smiling all the time while he talks to Yukhei and Sicheng, Ten notices by the sounds that reach his ears that they’re speaking in chinese, the nice dimple that appears every time the boy smiles is there. He wonders how it feels to rest his finger on it, trace it with his fingertips and continue with his jawline or maybe the lips

A little cough beside him causes him to look away from the boy who sits in front of him, quickly his most recent thoughts about Kun are buried deep in his mind, he doesn't want to think about it now

"Look Doyoung... you heard him and..."

"Just admit that you're looking for a reason to hate him because you're afraid to like him" Ten rubs his forehead with one of his hands

"You know what? I didn't came here to listen to your ridiculous analysis about my feelings, you haven't even graduated yet, now if you excuse me I'm gonna go dance" he jumps up, his movements call the attention of Kun and the rest of the boys who were still sitting

Without waiting any longer Ten goes down the stairs that lead to the dance floor, he needs to clear his mind

He comes back almost two hours later and sees that it’s only Yukhei, Yuta and Kun, the first two are almost unconscious lying on the couches while Kun is sitting looking at his phone with a half-full glass in front of him, when he sees him coming he smiles

"Hey" Kun moves his head as a welcome "how was the dance floor?"

Ten shrugs as he opens the bottle of water

Kun had taken off the jacket he was wearing earlier leaving the white shirt he was wearing underneath visible, Ten’s eyes remained more than necessary on his forearms, he knew that Kun didn’t go to the gym, he mentioned it once while they were working, despite this the muscles in that zone are effortlessly marked. Ten takes a quick look at Kun, his hair is a little bit messy, out of place, his eye-make-up was slightly ruined giving him a messy yet attractive look

“You didn't dance?" he asks. Although he still had a little bit of resentment against him Ten didn't want to look like an idiot. 

"Nah, Sicheng used to be my dance partner but now that his boyfriend is here he completely abandoned me"

“You know you don't need a dance partner, right?" he points to himself "look at me, I dance alone all the time"

"That's cause you know how to move" the smile remains on his lips "besides I had to stay for Xuxi's bet, he can be really competitive when he wants to"

Ten laughs at the sight of Yukhei looking for comfort in the armchair, an empty bottle of vodka in his arms

“It's been like this since I met him, can't wait to see his reaction when he realizes you've won" Kun denies with his head 

"I didn't win, I’d to finish this glass to get a tie but I let him win, I drank enough and if I finish this one Sicheng will probably have to take me home, sure Jaehyun won't be too happy with the idea"

Ten snorts 

"Jaehyun loves you, I’m sure he won't mind carrying your old body on his back"

Kun smiles, takes the glass between his fingers and raises his eyes to him. Their eyes meet for the first time in the night, the air becomes tense and Ten feels his hands starting to sweat

"Then I'd better finish this little bit of liquid luck" Kun gives him a meaningful look before he finishes the leftover vodka combined with God-knows-what in one gulp

Ten moves in his seat slightly uncomfortable, this is what he was trying to avoid, being alone with Kun. He didn't want to hear his apology

" _Chittapon_ " Kun leans both elbows on the table, his head resting on the palm of his hands "I'm sorry, I never meant to insult you, I was jealous and I spoke without thinking"

"Jealous of a student? I'm sure that girl was too young for you" he tries to make his tone sound like a joke but the nerves interfere, the words come out too fast to pretend he’s relaxed, his heart beats impatiently

"Ten, you know that's not what I mean" he raises his face and moves a couple of centimetres closer, Ten notice that the lights reflected on his eyes making them shine, his pupils are dilated making his gaze mesmerizing 

“Probably tomorrow I won't remember anything of this so if you don't feel uncomfortable please pretend this never happened" Kun lets out a sigh before continuing " _I like you, I like you a lot and I don't know how to deal with it. I know you don't like me and that's fine, I accept it. But you have no idea how much I would like to get close to you without sarcastic comments or having to analyze my words before speak_ " 

" _I like the way you wrinkle your nose when someone asks for a fruit smoothie because I know you hate making it also I like that habit of playing the same song every time your turn starts, it's like some kind of ritual to announce your arrival_ " he lets out a soft laugh

" _You caught my attention from the moment I first saw you that day in the cafe drawing in your free time, the way you didn't try to hide the annoyance for interrupting you. Every time I see you I feel something in my chest, not like butterflies. I don't believe in that stupid thing people say about butterflies in the stomach. I like you even when you insult me and say I'm a stick-straight jerk who needs to get a fuck to relax, the way you laugh after seeing me rolling my eyes is cute. I like you...and I really hope that you can forgive me for acting like an asshole a couple of weeks ago, I never wanted to hurt you... keep that in mind_ " the tone of his voice decreased with every word, Ten barely manages to hear the last words

After a few seconds of deep silence between them, only the music and shouts of the club in the background, he turns his eyes to the other boy just to find Kun lying on the table, completely unconscious. 

_Did he really think that just because he wasn't chinese he wouldn't understand his words_?

A frustrated sigh comes from his lips, Ten takes the water bottle and his jacket and gets up. A desire to run away growing inside him

He lets out a tense laugh as he remembers Kun’s words. Idiot, if he thought that this confession had softened him and changed things between them he was completely wrong

Or that's what Ten wanted to believe as he tried to control the rampant beating of his heart

"Hyung...are you leaving?" Jaehyun's voice comes from somewhere behind his back

Begging that his cheeks were now of his natural tone and his nerves were controlled enough not to affect the sound of his voice, he turns 

"Yeah, it's late and I need some rest" he approaches the couple and gives them a quick hug before saying goodbye "I think Kun will need a hand to get home" he points in his direction before going down the stairs

He was going to pretend that this never happened, he will completely forget Kun's words

\- ✲ -

The class is about to start when he feels his phone vibrating in the pocket of his jacket, he slips his hand inside to take it out 

> Taeil:
> 
> _surprise surprise!_

He reads the message and sends a quick reply.

> _what_
> 
> _wdym surprise?_

Almost 6 hours later he checks his messages, surprised to see the lack of response from Taeil

He enters the cafe and nods to the clients seated at the tables, is about to head to the workers area to leave his things when he hears him.

_It's Ten_

He looks at the clock on the wall in front of him wondering if he got the wrong time. No, it's almost 2 pm on thursday and Ten is there, preparing coffee and serving the clients. On the shift they both used to share, Ten's original shift

He turns towards the counter just to see that the boy is staring at him oddly, one of his eyebrows is raised and his eyes follow Kun's movements

"Hey... _are you okay?_ " he asks, Kun just nods awkwardly before continuing his way to the room

He drops his things and after putting on the apron he leaves the room, goes behind the counter to notify his arrival and allows Hendery to leave when a last minute thought changes his mind, quickly steps aside and enters the kitchen. He surprises Taeil who's preparing what looks like a lemon cake

"What the hell?" he hisses

"Good afternoon to you, hope you're having a good day" Taeil completely ignores his question and keeps mixing without taking his eyes off the table

"Hyung..." Kun groans, dropping his head on his palms, elbows leaning against the table

"The table is full of flour and spices, you’ll stain your sweater..." he warns, eyes still in the mix

"I don't care... I'm not leaving here, I’m staying in this kitchen for the rest of my days" Taeil rolls his eyes as he hears those words, drops the spoon and wipes his hands on his apron 

"You're being a little too dramatic, where's that relaxed and calm Kun I know?" 

"You don't understand hyung, the weekend when we went out I said something, can't remember what but Sicheng told me that when they came to where we were sitting Ten was blushing and I was completely drunk, almost dead"

"So?" 

"I'm sure I said something stupid, maybe I told him I like him" he whispers with a panicked voice "and you forced him to come today"

"I didn't force him, he called me this morning asking if he could take his previous shifts again" Taeil shrugs 

"Wait, _he called you?_ "

"Yes, now get out of my kitchen Qian Kun"

"Hyung...please" he begs

"He doesn't hate you if that's what you wanna know, now stop feeling pity for yourself and go to work. I need silence to finish this recipe, it's new"

"Does that mean I can try one of your new recipes again?" Taeil smiles shamelessly before pushing him in the door's direction

"That depends on how miserable you look at the end of the day" 

After the conversation they had a few weeks ago his relationship with Taeil progressed quite a bit and Kun already considered him part of his friends, he knew he could trust him

From the corner of his eye, he notices that Ten is a couple of metres away, leaning against the wall and typing into his phone. He looks at him for a few seconds when he is interrupted by a whirlwind of messy hair and badly put clothes that hug him, Hendery 

" _Ge!_ I thought you'd never get out of there, I need to go or I'll be late for the date that Xuxi set up for me" he gives them both a smile and leaves to get of his things

His eyes follow the younger boy until he gets lost inside the room, Kun turns his gaze only to see Ten staring at him

"Are you sure you're okay?" he insists again 

"About what happened last time-"

Ten raises a hand in his direction interrupting his words

"I forgot that already" puts his phone in the back pocket of his jeans and walks up to the counter when he sees some girls entering the cafe, leaving Kun standing there with a new apology stuck in his chest 

\- ✲ -

After working together again Ten notices a few things about Kun

**Kun can cook**

He discovered it just by chance one tuesday when Yangyang passed by the shop

They’re talking about the new toy they’d bought for Louis when Ten feels a few steps behind him, way too close. 

"Hey Yangyang" Kun leaves a small lunch box on the counter "I was cooking chicken yesterday and I remembered how much you like it so I made a little extra for you"

"Kun-ge, _you’re the best_ " without wasting time he takes the bag and clings to it like his life depended on it, not before smiling at boy who made the food for him

"Wait... you made it for him?" Kun nods "Hold on... so you're the reason why Yangie comes with chinese food almost every week?" Ten himself has tried the food several times and always thought that Yangyang bought it somewhere, the quality was excellent and tasty. But he won't admit that with Kun there standing next to him 

Kun lets out a laugh "'Yeah" 

Yangyang is staring at the floor like it’s the most interesting thing in the place, his ears are tinted with a lovely shade of pink and his fingers are playing with the strips of the lunch box, he gives Ten a deadly look before he speaks 

"Yes, Kun-ge has been preparing food for me and Renjun during the last time" he shakes his shoulders and Ten can't believe what he's seeing right now, the imprudent and mischievous Yangyang is being shy

"I know by first hand how difficult it’s to be away from home and there's nothing better than a home-cooked food to make you feel better, right?" Kun is smiling at Yangyang, his hand landed on his head and he affectionately strokes the brown tufts under his fingers

"Hey Yang...you’ve to try that chicken, it's so damn good, I swear if Kun-ge wasn't too old I'd ask him to marry me just to eat his food for the rest of my days" Hendery interrupts them by hugging both baristas from behind

"You know that no matter how hard you try I’ll not give you Dejun's portion, right?" Kun mumbles with a smirk

Hendery gives him a disdainful look and drops his arm away from him

"Well, at least I tried..." he turns around and then heads towards the main table where the customers were arriving

So yes, apparently Kun knew how to cook and he was good at it, so good that even Yukhei after forced Yangyang to share his meal with him that afternoon said that Kun's meals were one of the best meals he had ever tasted and Ten knew perfectly how strict the youngest could be with food

**Kun really and genuinely cares about the people around him**

Ten had already seen him several times passing the home-cooked meals to the boys, so when Kun adopted Yukhei into his small group of chinese kids after hearing how much he missed his home didn’t surprise him at all

Neither was the fact that, after hearing about the cold that caused Yuta missing his turn on thursday, Kun went to the japanese’s place that afternoon to give him some medicine. Nor the story of how when they’d just arrived in Korea with Sicheng, Kun was his guide for almost a year because he knew that his friend didn’t fully speak the language yet

Everyone knew that Kun was a kind and caring person, not for nothing Yangyang and Hendery used to call him mom when they wanted to tease him

Ten never paid too much attention to that detail of Kun's personality... _until he experienced it on his own_

His day was going like shit, he fell asleep, missed the first class of the day and the studio where he was supposed to practice was occupied at last minute by a group of freshmen for a class so he had to cancel his practice. With only three hours of sleep in his body he locked himself in the library for the rest of the morning to study for his finals, so focused he didn't notice the hours passing by and when he looked at his phone he discovered that his turn in the cafe had started 20 minutes ago. If that wasn't enough, it was snowing

And now he's there, standing outside the cafe, an hour late with traces of snow on his jacket and jeans, watching Kun cover his shift. He takes a deep breath before going in, mentally preparing himself for Doyoung's screams for being late

The soft tinkle of the bell catches the attention of the three baristas who are attending at the time, Kun's eyebrows visibly furrowing when he sees him

_He must look like shit, he has no doubt about it_

Before he can even walk to the workers' room to leave his things and change his clothes, he is stopped by Kun

"No, no need, I already talked to Taeil-hyung and he told me that there is no problem if I cover your shift for today" on any other occasion Ten would have started a fight, claiming that Kun was too friendly to be true, now he is too tired for that

"But..." he tries to find an excuse

"Nothing, _no excuses_. Junhui, my friend, is taking the same major as you and as far as I know you’ve an important exam next week, besides if you stay here with those wet clothes you'll catch a cold and you don't need that, right?" his voice tone is sweet and maybe he's closer than usual but Ten notices that he doesn't care, he likes having _this Kun_ around

"You’re right" he sighs, running his hand through his hair, it’s wet, _fucking snow_

"Wait here for a moment, okay? I'll make you a cup of coffee to take with you..." and without saying anything else or giving him time to answer, Kun returns to the counter

Ten assumes that preparing the coffee will take him a few minutes, Moon&Sun is relatively empty so he takes the opportunity to sit at one of the tables next to the window. He's distracted watching the snow fall, so immersed in the view outside that doesn't notice the footsteps approaching him, until someone gently taps him on the shoulder

He turns around expecting to see Kun's face. His face falls as he sees Doyoung in front of him 

"What? I'm not the barista you wanted to see?" he extends his hand handing him a bin with a plastic container and a small-brown paper bag. He receives them letting out a snort through his thin lips 

"Fuck you" Ten hisses.

"Aw, you're in a bad mood because your favorite barista is too busy to serve you..." After a quick look around the table and surroundings to make sure Taeil was in the kitchen, Doyoung takes a seat next to him.

Ten ignores him

"Come on... you know you can't lie to me, it shows on your face that you like h-"

His eyes open with surprise, he’s suddenly too aware of what is going on inside the cafe, inside his mind, the thoughts he had during the past minutes, completely ignoring his friend's words he gets up from his chair and grabs his things stumbling out of the shop

Normally he’d laugh and deny Doyoung's words but this time he could’t, he wasn't stupid and he wouldn't lie to himself, deep down he was waiting for Kun to be the one to deliver the coffee

When he arrives at his apartment his shoes are soaked from walking under the snow, his jacket is wet and strands of hair stick to his forehead. He leaves the coffee tray on the kitchen table and after changing his clothes he takes it again. Ten opens the lid to find that isn't coffee, it's hot chocolate, the marshmallows have melted and look like little clouds floating on the liquid. Inside the bag there's a chocolate muffin, when he takes it out a small piece of paper falls on the table

> " _probably u've had enough caffeine for today and the rest of the week, i stole the muffin from Taeil's kitchen, hope he doesn't kill me, enjoy it ;)_ "

It's Kun's handwriting, he knows it, he has seen it before

His cheeks are blushing and he’s not even sure why, he feels the heat rising up to his neck and reaching his face as he remembers Kun's drunken confession

He's just being nice, he says to himself, probably he would've done the same for Doyoung or Hendery

 _But he likes you_ , Ten thinks a couple of seconds later

He’s not used to this, his relationship with Kun had always been a tug-of-war, every chance they got they'd pick on each other trying to irritate the other. On second thought, Ten was the one who picked on Kun mostly, only getting laughs in response

He was used to see Kun being nice to others but feeling it directly, specially for him, was different, _it felt different._ _He likes it_. Ten wants more of whatever this was

Maybe if he stops annoying him so much Kun could act like that more often. Maybe he'd get to see more of that kind side of him

Yangyang arrives 15 minutes later and is surprised to see Ten, his roommate is staring at a small paper note, there’s a small plate full of crumbs and a half-full plastic cup next to him

"Uh...Ten-ge? Shouldn't you be studying for your exam?" 

Ten looks up and when he sees that he was caught looking at the note, he quickly puts it in his pocket.

"Ah...yes, I was just finishing eating and I got distracted for a few minutes" he replies as he takes the dishes to the sink

"What were you looking at when I arrived?" Yangyang asks, walking behind him

"N-nothing!"

"Ge...why are you blushing?" Yangyang's eyes open comically when he sees his face "You were reading a love letter?!"

What?!" He's sure his face must look like Taeyong's red hair at this point "What the hell Yang? _No!_ "

**Kun has a dog and he loves pets.**

After discovering that Kun was living alone in Korea, like him, the face of hostility Ten always showed when he was around has faded a little

Of course, the detail of the muffin and the note had nothing to do with his change of attitude, _absolutely nothing_

Ten holds his phone in front of them while he shows Kun a video of Louis playing on the couch in his apartment, in the video he climbs into Yangyang's lap and starts biting his fingers ignoring their complaints, the video ends with a scream of pain

Kun covers his smile with one hand exclaiming that he feels guilty for laughing at the boy's suffering. 

"It's okay, Louis is usually a little rough with him but underneath it all he loves him, you can see it on how he acts everytime Yangie comes home from his classes" 

"Ah, I really like cats..." the smile remains on his lips, it’s now softer, his dimples are hardly distinguishable 

"Haven't you thought about adopting one?" he asks

"No... I live alone and between classes and work it’d be impossible for me"

"What about dogs? They're usually easier to take care of as far as I know”

"I have one...in China" Kun adds the last part with a hint of nostalgia in his voice. 

It's his turn to bring his phone in front of them to show a picture to Ten, it's a little white dog " His name is Xiaomi" 

Kun keeps sliding his finger across the screen showing a variety of pictures and videos, he is in some of them with a younger boy, Chenle, his brother. The smile on Kun's face while he looks at the pictures is lovely and heartbreaking, all at once. Ten has no doubt that Kun misses his family as much as he misses his own 

They stay like this for a couple of minutes, sharing stories of their pets, the coffee isn’t so crowded and Doyoung seems to be managing well by himself

They notice when the flow of customers starts to increase, Ten puts a hand on Kun's shoulder stopping his movements, he isn’t sure of what to do next, he just knows that he hates to see the sad expression on Kun's face, it’s not typical of him

"You know, I'm sure Louis will be happy to meet you, ugly faces make him feel more handsome" Kun snorts

“I’m sure he must be happy living with you then" he mocks back, Ten just rolls his eyes, a small smile appears on his lips as he sees that the sorrow has left the Kun’s face

**Kun produces his own music**

It's Friday and Ten is covering Doyoung's shift. The cafe is flooded with students preparing for their exams and he’s thankful that his exams were moved earlier because of the holiday season, now he can enjoy this christmas in peace

"Ten?” Kun is in front of him, the backpack rests on his shoulder and the wallet’s in his hands, ready to take out the money

"Hey..." he leans his head to one side, slightly confused "what are you doing here?"

"Buying coffee" Kun raises one of his eyebrows as he hands over the money, his tone is slightly sarcastic

"No, I mean..." when Ten see the corners of Kun's lips rise to form a smile roll my eyes "forget it"

"I usually come to work on my assignments here at this hour" he clarifies 

After receiving his order, Kun goes to a table next to the window and settles down there with his laptop

During the whole turn he can't help but look in that direction, Kun seems really focused, from time to time his teeth catch his lower lip chewing it. Ten notices that when he’s too concentrated his fingers drum on the table surface, so immersed in whatever he’s doing that barely touches the coffee he ordered

Ten's body vibrates, wanting to approach that table and sit in front of Kun, chat for a moment, ask him what’s keeping him so focused...now that he thinks about it, Ten has no idea about Kun’s major

Without realizing it, time passes quickly, the turn comes to the end and the only person left in the place is Kun. During the afternoon Taeil left the kitchen and when he saw Kun working in a corner of the cafe he said that it would be better if they left him alone until closing time, apparently it was part of his routine, studying here in the cafe

Slowly Ten heads in the direction he has been waiting for, carefully dragging the chair in front of Kun and sitting there

He raises his hand and puts it on the laptop screen interrupting Kun's vision, the boy looks up and when he sees Ten in front of him he takes off his headphones

"Hey... did something happen?" he asks a bit lost

"We’re closing" his view travels quickly outside, the sky slowly darkens, different shades of yellow, orange, blue and purple are mixed among the clouds

"Shit, I think I got really distracted..." 

“Apparently your assignments took longer than planned" Kun denies as he drinks the rest of his coffee in a hurry

"No, I finished them almost an hour after arriving here...I was composing a couple of things" his cheeks are flushed and his eyes remain in the coffee between his hands

"Composing?" Kun lets out a laugh when he sees the surprised expression on Ten’s face

"Yes, that's what I usually do, it's normal for me to do it" the words come out a bit shy "I'm studying a bachelor in Music Composition" he explains a few seconds later 

Interesting

"So...you make music" Ten repeats one more time to be sure

"Yeah" Kun is looking at him, curious and funny in equal parts

"I wanna hear it..." Kun keeps quiet when he hears the words, _he wants what?_

“Come on, even if it's what you did today" the emotion is reflected in his voice making it slightly higher 

He stares at Ten for a moment, he seems genuinely interested, Kun takes a deep breath trying to calm his nerves before nodding

"Okay, fine" drags the chair next to him and gently tap it twice inviting Ten to sit next to him 

He takes off the headphones and passes them to him. 

"Do you want to see what I've been working on for the afternoon?" he nods vigorously

When Kun sees the headphones in place on Ten's ears, he presses the play button, their faces remains impassive during the 50 next seconds of the demo, after a sign indicating that the track is over Ten takes off his headphones 

"Kun, you made this right? It's amazing! You’re really talented" he’s smiling at him brightly, his lips are open showing a brilliant smile

He feels Ten's hands resting on his, interlacing their fingers as he exclaims how great the music he’s heard is and how surprised he feels. The praises follow one after another wrapping Kun with a warm feeling that falls on his shoulders like a cozy coat

"You've got to let me choreograph one of your tracks, please" Ten pulls his hands apart and makes a gesture of supplication, his eyes move between him and the computer screen "I'm sure you have one that I can choreograph"

Kun doubts but seeing Ten's eyes shining so brightly, being so close to him showing his smile.. _.it’s impossible to refuse_

“Uh, I think there's something you could use..." scrolls through a collection of folders not finding what he's looking for, Kun opens a browser tab and when the website loads Ten can't believe what his eyes are seeing 

_49K followers?!_

"You're fucking kidding me, is this your soundclound?" 

"Yes, there's a track I did during my first year, it's a bit inexpert but I loved the final result, it's one of my favourite compositions and it was supposed to have a choreography but Sicheng never dared to use it, he said it didn’t fit his style" the words come out of his lips quick and Ten takes note that when Kun talks about something he's passionate about his lips make a pout

"Maybe it's your style, you can listen to it and then tell me if you like it, I can change some details but I'm sure..." his voice goes off at not hearing any sound coming from the boy next to him, when he sees Ten notices that he’s staring at him without saying a word, his mouth slightly open "Oh wait...I think I got too excited, maybe you weren't serious" Kun laughs awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck 

"What? No!" he leans closer to Kun and takes his hand leaving it again on the laptop "I am, I meant it, it’s just I still can't believe you're so popular!" he replies

“It’s nothing” Kun whispers unable to meet Ten’s eyes

And that's how they spend almost 15 minutes listening to the tracks composed by Kun, the coffee and the fact that they’re about to close the place wascompletely forgotten

It’s Taeil who interrupts them, there’s no apron, instead he wears a green jacket, his hands covered by black gloves. They both look around noticing that the place is completely empty, there’s no sign of other baristas

"I can tell you’re _having a moment_ but I really need to close, Haechan is waiting for me to prepare dinner" Taeil raises his eyebrows with a smirk drawn on his lips

He laughs seeing the flushed faces of the boys in front of him "Hurry up or I'll leave you in here... but I don't think it will bother you so much judging by how much fun you were having _together_ a few seconds ago"

Ten stands up fast stumbling over the chair in his attempt to escape, luckily Kun's hand travels to his back holding him to avoid a fall, he asks if he's okay and Ten just nods stunned when he sees the other boy's face so close. After recovering from his stupor and giving Taeil one last suspicious look, he disappears behind the door to the workers room to pick up his stuff

Big is his surprise when he leaves the room and sees Kun standing at the frontdoor, there’s no sign of Taeil 

"He was bored of waiting and left me the keys" Kun shrugs "he said he had a spare in his house"

They leave the cafe in a comfortable silence, neither of them is able to speak, afraid of breaking the peace of the moment

"So... which direction?" is Ten who speaks first

"I take the bus at the station two streets away," he answers, with his finger pointing to the left

"Oh same direction! let's go" _it’s a lie,_ his place is only three blocks away and it's the opposite direction, _but Kun doesn't need to know that, right?_

In the last few weeks things had changed a lot between them, now they can have a conversation without problems, Ten doesn't feel the need to mess with him in every chance he gets and Kun has left behind his apprehensive attitude, now he’s more open, they even joke together and make fun of Doyoung now

Sometimes he could not help bothering Kun, seeing him smile and deny with his head before making a comment felt very different from how things used to be in the past, now his eyes were just full of affection, so much that sometimes it overwhelmed him and Ten had to look away. He couldn't help but blush if the eye contact lasted more than three seconds

The awkwardness had been replaced by a sweet feeling of comfort and affection

He found Kun's presence comforting, especially this new friendly and fun side that he’d come to know more and more in the past few weeks. Ten had to admit that in the past he acted like an idiot, he discovered that Kun is a nice person and easy-to-get-along-with

 _Luckily things are different now_ , he thinks as he sees Kun's smile.

The warm of the Christmas lights illuminates his face, his skin contrasts with the deep darkness of the night, his eyes shine like two small stars that have lost their way to land high in the sky. His hair is faded, now only a soft pink colour remains making his face look even more attractive, it matches the colour of his lips. Ten likes the contrast of the strands that fall on his eyebrows, his eyes stay on Kun's face more than necessary

To be honest during the last few weeks this attitude had become a habit, looking at Kun more than necessary was inevitable. He usually arrived first at the shifts they shared and one of the things that caught his attention was that, apart from a black hat that he sometimes wore, Kun never wore anything to protect himself from the weather. Most of the time when he entered the cafe his cheeks or nose were red due to the low temperatures.

Like now 

"Your nose is red" he points with a smooth tone, afraid that if he speaks louder the atmosphere between them will break

"Oh?" Kun takes his hand to his nose touching it "yes, it must be because of the weather"

Suddenly, Ten remembers the scarf he saw a few days ago while he was accompanying Yukhei to do his Christmas shopping. He remembers seeing it in one of the many shops they went to, it was beige with details in red and black. He thinks Kun would like something like that, it would look good around his neck, wrapping his cheeks and nose to protect them from the cold.

"Ten" Kun has reduced the distance between them, Ten could count his eyelashes if he concentrated enough

"Yes?" his voice is just a whisper

"I..." Kun's gaze runs across his face, he notices that it stops for a second on his lips before returning to his eyes "the bus is coming, I must go"

_Oh_

"Yes, you must go" but they’re unable to move, too lost in each other's eyes. Ten lets out a trembling sigh as he sees Kun's pupils dilate, he looks down a few centimetres and sees the pink tongue moving through his lips, they look cracked from the low temperature but soft at the same time, he wonders how it would feel to touch them, Kun's lips separate and it seems he's about to say something

The noise of the bus parking brings them back to reality

"See you on Tuesday" Ten nods without knowing what to say, the words seem to have gone to a place too far away where he’s not able to catch them

The scarf is forgotten at the bottom of his bag but still his cheeks feel warm, a nice feeling settles on his chest and grows from there to the rest of his body. He ignores his racing heart as he walks fast in the real direction of his apartment.

_Things were definitely very different between them now_

**Kun is handsome**

Ten can’t deny the reality

Being honest, he’d noticed this little detail much earlier, since the first time they met Ten was aware of Kun's charms

The first thing he noticed at that time when he saw his face was the mole under his eyebrow, it caused him to stare at Kun's face for almost 10 seconds without saying a word the first time the boy stood in front of him, Kun's soft and animated voice had brought him back to reality.

"Hey, Sicheng told me that we'll share a couple of turns, hope we get along" dimples, as if the mole, his sweet chocolate eyes and his fluffy lips weren't enough. Kun had dimples when he smiled

_Fucking dimples_

His cheeks were red, he could feel the heat reaching through them and dye his ears, the chances of them being red too were high. Ten let out a squealing sound before turning his eyes away from his new co-worker's face

 _Panic_. The boy standing in front of him is totally his type, with a soft look and voice like honey, Ten thinks he could get lost in those eyes 

When he feels that his voice has returned to him, he speaks "Cool, now if you don't mind I want to be alone, I'm drawing"

_What the fuck, Chittaphon? Really?_

He raises his eyes and wants to scream as he sees the surprise followed by a slight trace of uneasiness in Kun's eyes. Great, he screwed up all of it because of his nerves

Sicheng was saying something but Ten was too busy looking at Kun’s face to listen, seeing how uncomfortable he seemed, fixing his eyes anywhere but him, made Ten want to hit himself

After that it was much easier for Ten to tease Kun rather than apologize for his first unpleasant encounter 

And now, months later Ten confirmed once again, Kun is really handsome

Their shift was coming to an end and both are talking with their arms resting on the table, Kun is wearing a black sweater, the sleeves raised up to the elbows so it doesn't interfere while he was preparing the orders, everything was fine...until Kun smiles at a stupid thing that Ten says and then proceeds to run his hand through his hair, it's a simple gesture that takes his pink strands backwards to move them away from his face but enough to cause a short-circuit in Ten's brain. He looks away feeling tickles in his stomach, it’s feels like a flower blooming inside him, guided by Kun's bright smile

**And as if it wasn't obvious enough, the last thing Ten notices about Kun is that he likes him, a lot.**

He was used to hearing Doyoung's comments on the matter and never really cared, he always found the perfect way to respond and shut him up

But after that night he could no longer do it, Doyoung's words only reminded him of Kun's words when he confessed that he was in love with him... and also of the evolution of his feelings over the past few years

" _Please_ " he mutters in despair as he follows him behind the counter "you have to promise me you won't make any comments about it, not in front of Kun" 

Doyoung turns around causing them to almost collide, Ten's eyes squint trying to look at the face in front of him

"So you like him..." he points out

"Yes" the answer comes out automatically, slips between his lips before he’s able to catch them "Wait, no, no, no, that's not what I meant" 

His cheeks are sprinkled with a nice pink colour, the warm feeling that had accompanied him almost all weekend settles on his chest again. Having his body act that way every time Kun is mentioned has become a habit since friday night

_Kun_

The realization that he will see Kun today feels like a thousand tons of bricks falling on him. Shit, _he's not ready_

Not after realizing that maybe he's a little bit in love with Kun 

"Chittaphon" Doyoung puts a hand on his shoulder, he’s using _that_ name, which means he’s about to say something serious, Ten doesn't want to hear it "you like him, you can't deny it anymore, don't you dare to do it"

"I-" a hand rests on his lips, silencing him

"Let me finish before you talk" he scolds "now, you like him and he likes you. It's simple, ask him out on a date or something, I know Kun wants the same thing but he's too afraid to ask. If you don't believe me just think about the way he smiles at you or the way he stands every time you talk to him, how he moves his whole body in your direction just to listen to you and not to mention how his eyes get on you when you're not looking, is disgustingly cute” he gives him a gentle squeeze on his shoulder “I doubt things go wrong"

"I bought him a present" he declares, not knowing how to respond to the talk 

"You- _what?_ " Doyoung is scowling 

"A scarf, Kun never wears anything to protect himself from the weather, his cheeks are always red when he arrives at the cafe and you know, it's winter and I thought maybe it'd be a good idea, I saw it a couple of weeks ago and felt it was the perfect gift for him" and if he wasn't flushed enough before, now he sure is. He can feel his face burning

“Oh my- _you really like him_ " Doyoung murmurs in surprise 

"Of course I do, you idiot" he claims back, arms crossed over his chest in a defensive pose

"So... do you plan giving it to him today?" he asks 

"No" Ten quickly denies "on thursday, you know...Christmas Eve and all that shit" he waves his hand in the air in a gesture trying to minimize the importance of the situation

"Sure...nothing important" Doyoung whispers underneath, rolling his eyes "well...after all I was right, you like him, I always knew it, even before you"

Ten has never wanted to hit someone's face so badly before, he just wants to erase that smug smile on his friend's face 

"Whatever" he will not fall into Doyoung's trap, Ten knows that if he responds with any comment the boy will keep teasing him and he can't take any chances, not now that Kun is about to arrive

He wants to keep it as a secret for a few days, until he can give Kun his present

_**24th December** _

Nothing was going according to plan, his first idea was inviting Kun to eat something or maybe go for a coffee after work, of course he completely forgot that it was Christmas Eve, which means that most of the shops would be closed at that time and he also ignored the fact that Kun probably had plans

In fact, he had them. Kun himself told him about it, apparently he’d meet Sicheng and the rest of his chinese kids to celebrate with home-cooked food prepared by him

And if that wasn't enough, his sister had arrived at his place last night as a surprise, claiming that she wanted to spend Christmas with him this year

So, the idea of hanging out after work was completely out of the question

Ten has to think in a quick plan if he wants to give him the gift today, they’re packing their stuff to go and he feels the weight of his bag more than ever, among all his notebooks and pencils rests Kun's gift

"So you're planning to meet in your apartment?" Kun nods as he takes off his apron

"Yes, most of them are already there, I gave the key to Sicheng a couple of days ago cause I knew I’d be stuck here until later" he explains

"So you'll be the last one there?" 

"Kinda, I'm meeting Jaehyun to go there together"

"Jaehyun?" Ten is confused

"Yes" he nods "he wanted to spend this Christmas with Sicheng, it's their first Christmas together and he thought it’d be a nice gesture, it’s a surprise" 

Silence falls on them again and Ten thinks it's a good moment to give Kun the present, he opens the bag and his breath gets stuck in his throat when he sees the brown paper with a small red ribbon, inside there’s the scarf

"Guys, can you help me with something in the kitchen? I need extra hands to pack some things" Taeil interrupts them, he looks anxious

Kun puts his jacket aside and approaches Taeil, calming him down, insisting that he has no problem helping

"Yeah, no problem" Ten approaches them willing to help

"Oh don't worry Ten, with Kun's help I think it’ll be enough" Taeil heads back to the kitchen leaving them alone, Ten is ready to leave and knows he has no excuse to stay waiting for Kun

"Well... guess I should go then" he mumbles

Kun looks at him, the look in his eyes is indistinguishable and shakes _something_ inside Ten, notices that he’s about to take a step in his direction but at the last moment he regrets it

"See you next week... _Merry Christmas Ten!_ " Kun smiles at him for the last time before disappearing behind Taeil

Definitely not how he expected things to be

But he was not going to give up so easily, Ten had no doubt that if his sister sees him arrive with the scarf back she would kick his ass, when he told her about his feelings for Kun she encouraged him to confess. Christmas Eve is the perfect time to do it, she said 

So he decides that the best (and only) option is to stay outside the cafe

The wait is short, it only takes 10 minutes for Kun to leave the shop

Kun looks at him like he can't believe Ten is standing in front of him. He's been out in the cold for less than a minute and his nose is already starting to turn red. 

"Hey,hi" Ten lowers his scarf leaving his face uncovered, he smiles as he sees Kun's corners rising, he comes a little closer to him, both are standing face to face

"Hi" he replies "I thought you'd already gone home"

“I have something for you" Ten ignores the comment, carefully takes the gift out of his bag and stretches out his arm to give it to him " _Merry Christmas Kun_ "

Kun receives the package, his cheeks are tinted with a red tone and Ten knows that this time it’s not because the low temperatures "You didn't have to buy me anything" he says

"I saw it and I thought of you" Ten shrugs and looks to the left, avoiding Kun's gaze

He sees him unwrap the gift out of the corner of his eye, paying attention to his reactions

 _"A scarf?"_ Kun holds it in his hands, the material feels soft to the touch 

Te nods "I thought it would be a good idea...your nose is always red, sometimes you wear that black hat but I don't think it will help you to cover your nose from the weather and you know, if you get sick you’ll miss work and someone will replace you, Yuta is too boring and having Hendery next to Doyoung would be a disaster, I love Sicheng and I know he’s your best friend but you need to admit he’s too quiet and he only talks when he’s with Jaehyun and works with them in the same room...no, definitely it’s not an option" he’s mumbling nonsense, he knows that. But he can't help it, much less when he sees how Kun has reduced the distance between them to just a couple of centimetres

"Why?" is a simple question but it puts all his senses on alert, he’s aware of Kun's closeness more than ever 

" _You know why_ " Ten shrugs his shoulders with a small smile on his lips, unable to take his eyes off Kun

It's Kun who takes a step closer to reducing the distance between them to nothing, Ten looks at his face and notices a detail he's never seen before. Kun has a small mole under his right eye, his hand automatically raises and his fingertip touches the area

Kun closes his eye by inertia when he feels the finger running around the area. Ten giggles at his expression, taking advantage of the fact that his eye is still closed, he takes his finger to the mole that’s higher, under his eyebrow, his finger caresses the skin of the area with gentleness, his hand is slightly trembling and prefers to blame the low temperature rather than admit that it’s Kun's presence that puts him in this state.

After a few seconds of walking his finger across the boy's face, Kun's hand rests on his, interrupting the touching, carefully turning it over and intertwining their fingers, letting their hands fall to the side. Ten looks down and notices that in his other hand Kun is holding the scarf, he smiles.

His eyes travel across Kun's face and stay there, absorbing every detail of the view in front of him.

Once again the city lights fall on his face, this time his hair is styled upwards leaving his forehead clear. Notice that the roots have already started to grow but contrast perfectly with the soft pink colour of his hair. His eyes shine, it’s like a galaxy is hidden in them, waiting to be explored. His nose looks adorable, the tip is dyed a soft pink, Ten wants to separate their hands just to touch it. Finally his gaze reaches where he’d been waiting so long, his lips... _Ten wants to kiss him so badly_

Without waiting a second more he raises his hand resting it on the back of Kun's neck, he strokes the skin of the area and as they approach it feels like a thousand explosions happening inside of him at the same time that a warm feeling invades from top to bottom 

Their lips touch, at first it's a light touch, barely rubbing each other, they stay like this for a couple of seconds, playing, testing the waters. Ten press their lips again, outlining Kun's lower lip with his tongue, unsure 

He feels Kun's hand on his hip and smiles in the middle of the kiss. Gently bites Kun's lip as he feels the touch on his waist getting stronger, _confident_. Kun's lips moves over his, he slightly inclines his head to change the angle of the kiss and give him better access

They separate gasping and Ten takes the opportunity to take the scarf out of Kun's hand and wrap it around his neck, he steps aside and Kun laughs at the arrogant smile on his face

"I knew it would suit you" he mumbles before attracting Kun for another kiss

_He was wrong, definitely Kun's confession had changed the things between them_

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first fanfic that i post and it means a lot to me, i really need to thank my precious and loved betas who helped and encouraged me to post this, without them i wouldn't make it


End file.
